Tyrese Haliburton has heard the doubts before. From being labeled overrated to being overlooked as one of the league’s superstars, the Indiana Pacers star has become accustomed to being underestimated. Now, that feeling of being overlooked has emerged once again, and it doesn’t seem to sit right with him. After all, Hali has been sidelined for 16 months, and his return to the hardwood isn’t as emphatic as he would have hoped.
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The Pacers have 11 nationally televised games after finishing 19-63 last season. They spent the entirety of that season without their ace, Tyrese Haliburton, who suffered a ruptured Achilles tendon during Game 7 of the 2025 NBA Finals against the Thunder. Since then, Indiana fans have been waiting for his return. But when Hali finally steps back onto the hardwood, it won’t be at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. Instead, the Pacers will travel to New Orleans.
So, no national televised game on return, and not even a home game. That’s why Tyrese Haliburton is shocked and disappointed.
“Name any other person that you compare to my level of a basketball player, wherever you have me ranked. If they tore their Achilles and missed 16 months, do you think that game would be on national television?” Hali asked the question on the Numbers on the Board podcast. The room agreed that it deserved a platform on either ESPN, Amazon Prime Video, Peacock, or NBC.
Then dropped another question: “Do you think that game would be at home, if not on national television?” Again the answer was an emphatic yes. But later Tyrese Haliburton revealed his frustrations. “Do you think that that game would be at New Orleans?”
The podcast crew’s reaction summed up what Indiana fans are facing. They called it “crazy,” and Haliburton further stated:
“When I saw the schedule, I was like, ‘oh, wow,’ not to…shoutout Trey Murphy III, love my boy Trey. Love New Orleans. I was shocked to see that, but we moved on.”
Maybe it is just scheduling. But for Tyrese Haliburton, the feeling of being overlooked isn’t new. An anonymous NBA player poll in 2025 named Haliburton the league’s most overrated player, with 13 of 90 respondents selecting him. His response? “I must be doing something right.”
And while Indiana kept winning, the Pacers were still treated as an afterthought. They entered the 2025 playoffs without being widely viewed as a legitimate Finals contender. Then they made it all the way to the championship series. Tyrese Haliburton summed up the experience bluntly: “When you’re successful, people will always find a reason to discredit you.”
Now, Tyrese Haliburton is not asking for special treatment. But considering his peers’ treatment, the Pacers guard has the right to express his disappointment. During the same 2025 playoffs, even Jayson Tatum suffered an Achilles tendon injury.
When he returned just after 10 months, it was a nationally televised game against the Mavericks. And the comparison with Damian Lillard makes the contrast even harder to miss.
Lillard’s first matchup isn’t nationally televised either. But Portland opens the season at home against Phoenix, giving Rip City the chance to celebrate Dame Time’s return in front of its own fans.
Meanwhile, Tyrese Haliburton gets New Orleans.